Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has delivered the latest update on the fitness of his squad ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Everton at St James’ Park.
The Magpies are in high spirits after winning four of their last five games in all competitions, most recently beating Qarabag 3-2 in the second leg of their Champions League knockout round playoff on Tuesday to progress 9-3 on aggregate.
Howe’s side - **who will face Barcelona in the last 16**- was boosted by the return to fitness of Sven Botman and Yoane Wissa against Qarabag, with the former starting and scoring while the latter came off the bench in the second half.
Jacob Ramsey was not involved in midweek, though, after he picked up a minor hamstring issue earlier in the week, but Howe is hopeful that the midfielder will be available to return against Everton
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Howe said: "Jacob we hope will train today, so fingers crossed for tomorrow.”
Latest Miley, Livramento injury update from Howe
Elsewhere on the injury front, Howe has confirmed that Lewis Miley will be sidelined for at least a couple more weeks as he continues to recover from a muscle injury impacted by a knock to his thigh in a Champions League draw with Paris Saint-Germain at the end of January.
"We've just been advised with Lewis to be really careful with this injury,” said Howe. “A knock of that type is usually a couple of days, but there's muscle disruption.
“I think we're looking at a couple of weeks. If we don't get the management of this injury right, he could be out for the season."
Tino Livramento and Bruno Guimaraes are both sidelined for longer with hamstring injuries, but Howe has issued a positive update on the Magpies pair and has revealed when they may be ready to return to action.
On full-back Livramento, who has been out since January 10, Howe said: "I think Tino will be (back in) early March. He has done well, he has been training and running for a period of time. I think when he comes back, he will be in a good place."
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Guimaraes “very positive” as Howe issues hopeful injury update
As for star midfielder Guimaraes, who has missed the last four games and continues his recovery in his native Brazil, Howe added: "I've had some good contact with Bruno. He seems very positive about his injury.
“He is putting in a lot of work and being looked after. We really hope he can come back and give us a real boost before the end of the season, but we have to treat his injury carefully. With the hamstring you have to be really careful."
Fabian Schar (ankle) and Emil Krafth (knee) are two more Newcastle players in the treatment room, and while the former is targeting a return in April, the latter is set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.
Newcastle, still chasing European qualification, currently sit 11th in the**Premier League table**, just one point behind Saturday’s opponents Everton in ninth and nine points behind Liverpool in sixth spot with 11 games left to play.